Prayut urges patience and support for Thai democratisation

“Thai democracy still needs some fine-tuning, whether it is for the constitution… election process and especially governance and how politicians get into politics,” Prayut told VOA during an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Prayut reaffirmed that Thai people want to have democracy like other countries but added that “we want to see an end to conflicts...”

He pointed out that Thai politics is different from politics in other countries thus more time is needed to embark on the democratic process. He said in the end other countries would understand the problems facing the Kingdom and urged friendly nations to support the full democratisation of Thailand.

“If there were no problems in the past, I wouldn’t have had to come to take up the post [of prime minister],” said Prayut, who led the coup in May 22 last year.

The premier, who is also head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), said if the new draft charter, which is due in April next year, is approved in a national referendum, Thailand will see a general election by mid-2017.

“People are alarmed that I extended the process. I didn’t extend the process. If it can move faster, it should. But we should look [at] whether it will lead to peace.”

Prayut denied suggestions he has further clamped down on freedom of expression in Thailand, saying he has given permission for people to exercise their freedom of expression at a “fairly high level” and that there has been no blocking of access to information although he disagrees with people who are calling for anti-government protests because now is not the right time to do so.

“I’m telling you that I have exercised my power only minimally,” said Prayut.

However, the VOA pointed out in its report that the government has recently raised the prospect of limiting the number of international Internet access points from the current 10 to a single one, sparking fears of a Chinese-style firewall against content deemed objectionable by officials. The American news organisation also noted that concerns were raised in August by the UN Human Rights Office regarding the rise in prosecutions under the lese majeste law.

Prayut said the banning of public protests helped minimise “provocation of conflict and unrest”.

The premier added that the unsettled charter has not deterred American firms from continuing to do business in the Kingdom, and noted that Thailand is the United States’ closest ally in the region.

“I have met with dozens of US companies in Thailand, and they are happy to continue their investment. They are not talking to me about democracy. Rather, they are keen to know about changes in regulations and investment benefits.”

The VOA noted that the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand has more than 700 corporate partners, including big players like McDonald’s, Philip Morris, Chevrolet and Coca-Cola.

On the issue of the Erawan Shrine bombing, Prayut said foreign leaders have expressed sympathy for what took place in Thailand and lauded the Kingdom for being able to quickly apprehend the suspect bombers.

Prayut also vowed to tackle human trafficking. “The past government didn’t give [it] much attention. They may have thought it was okay.”

He said he needs to think about how to deal with the issue of undocumented migrant workers and how to create jobs for them. “If the problems are not solved today, they will come back to these people.”